Introduction to Climate Change Adaptation: A Learning CompanionOxfam Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Resources

Contents1 About this companion

2 Why is climate change adaptation important for Oxfam?

3 Key terms

4 How is climate change adaptation approached globally?

5 Oxfam’s approach to climate change adaptation

6 Programme cycle management and climate change adaptation

7 Summary of learning

8 How to further your understanding

9 Endnotes

2. Why is climate change adaptation important for Oxfam?Climate change is already affecting many of the communities with which Oxfam works; undermining their livelihoods through gradual, insidious, changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, and increasing the frequency and/or intensity of natural hazards such as floods and droughts. The poorest communities in developing countries around the world are being hardest hit because they are:

•Moredependentontheirclimate-sensitivenaturalresources and ecosystems, such as agriculture and fishing;

•Morelikelytoliveinareasthathavegreaterexposuretoclimate hazards, such as urban slums and flood plains;

•Lessabletorespondtoclimatechangebecauseof limited human, financial, and institutional capacity.1

Even if global emissions are cut rapidly, starting today, the impacts of climate change will continue to worsen until at least 2060. For those already being affected, the need to adapt to the unavoidable impacts is already urgent.

Learning Objectives

After reading this Companion, you should:

• HaveatheoreticaloverviewofCCA(includingdefinitionsforkeyterminology)andunderstandwhyitisimportant;

• UnderstandhowOxfamapproachesCCAandhowthisfitsinwithinternationalapproachesandprocesses;

• UnderstandhowtointegrateCCAateachstageoftheprojectcycle;

• HaveanideaoftherangeofCCAinterventionsacrossthecontextsinwhichOxfamworks;and

• KnowwheretogotolearnmoreaboutintegratingCCAintoyourwork.

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1. About this CompanionClimate change adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) are corporate priorities for Oxfam GB. This companion is the fifth in a series that covers key topics for programme staff. It aims to support Oxfam’s programme staff to integrate CCA into their work; it provides a theoretical overview of CCA; and it will direct you to additional resources and practical tools. The companion assumes that you already have an understanding of project cycle management within Oxfam, and it should be read alongside the DRR Programme Policy and the CCA Programme Policy Guidelines. If you would like more information, please contact phd@oxfam.org.uk.

Climate change effects and impacts:3 •Livelihoods By2020,yieldsfromwater-fedagriculture in Africa could be down by 50 per cent.4

•Disasters Almost 250 million people around the worldareaffectedbyclimate-relateddisastersina typical year. By 2015, this number could grow by 50 per cent to an average of more than 375 million people.5

• Food security The most optimistic authoritative prediction says that between 740 million and 1.3 billion people may be chronically hungry by 2080.6

•Water If supplies from the Himalayan glaciers begin to fail, millions of people in South Asia will face water shortages this century; the basin of the Ganges alone is home to half a billion people.7

The weather is changingOverthepastthreeyears,OxfamstaffacrossEastandSouthAsia,alloverAfrica,andthroughoutLatinAmericahavebeenhearingfarmersexplainhowtheyseetheweatherchanging.Theresultsarestrikingbecauseoftheextraordinaryconsistencythattheyshowacrosstheworld.JohnMagrath,Oxfamprogrammeresearcher,says‘Farmersareallsayingverysimilarthings:theseasonsarechanging.Moderate,temperateseasonsareshrinkingandvanishing.Seasonsarebecominghotteranddrier;rainyseasonsshorterandmoreviolent.Wethinkthat“changingseasonality”maybeoneofthemostsignificantimpactsofclimatechangeforpoorfarmers,andthatitishappeningnow.’

MohammadLliasuddinofTelkupi,Shibganj,inBangladesh,tellsOxfam‘IknowIamsupposedtosowbyacertaindateortime.Thatiswhatmyforefathershavebeendoing.Butthenforseveralyearsthetemperatureandweatherdoesnotjustseemrightforwhatwehavebeendoingtraditionally.Itisexasperating,asIdonotknowhowtocopewiththeproblems.’

WillingtonWamayeye,managingdirectorofGumutindoCoffeeCo-operativeineasternUganda,says‘I’velivednearMountElgonallmylifeandIhaveneverknowntheweathertobesounpredictable.Rainsnowfallheavilyforashortperiod,andourdryseasonismuchlonger.Thecoffeeplantsarebadlyaffected;floweringhasstopped.Lastyearalone(2007)welostabout40percentofourproduction.Asaresult,peoplestruggleforeverything.’Source: Oxfam report ‘What Happened to the Seasons?8

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As a result, Oxfam GB and Oxfam International have made climate change a corporate priority. This decision recognises that we can only fulfil our mission to overcome poverty and suffering if we address the underlying causes of climate change, and deal with the unavoidable consequences. Integrating climate change adaptation (CCA) into all our work is therefore essential if we are to help prevent increasing the poverty and suffering of those whom we seek to support, and all of the evidence suggests that ‘development as usual’ is not enough.2

Development, equity, and urgency:•It’sadevelopmentissue:climatechangethreatensto stall – and then reverse – progress made to achievetheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals.

•It’sanequityissue:poorwomenandmenindeveloping countries are those worst affected by climate change, yet are the least responsible for causing it.

•It’sanurgentissue:theimpactsof climatechangeare already having an impact on women and men living in poverty; they undermine livelihoods and increaseweather-relateddisasters,andthistrendis set to worsen.

Puspa Rani Roy prepares her belongings before moving to new ground, Hashail, Munshigonj, Bangladesh. She lived here for fifteen years with her husband, two children and her mother-in-law: ‘This is our own land and it will go to the river by tomorrow. I have many memories with my family members here. It is such a pain that we never get back this land and surely become landless like refugees.’ Photo: Abir Abbdullah/EPA

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4. How is climate change adaptation approached globally?

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)TheUNFCCCisthemulti-lateralmechanismtaskedwithco-ordinatinginternationalactiononclimatechange.Institutionally, interest in CCA began with the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Berlin in 1995. Since this first meeting, work has been slow to progress. The Thirteenth Conference of the Parties, held in Bali 2007, and later meetings have now cemented adaptation’s place in the international negotiations for a post-2012treaty,butmuchworkstillhastobedone.Mostrecently, in negotiations leading up to Copenhagen in 2009 (COP15), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has featured more prominently, as policy makers and practitioners recognise DRR as an effective approach to climate change adaptation.

National CommunicationsAs part of the UNFCCC, countries are required to report on steps that they are taking in order to address climate change (mitigation) and its adverse impacts (adaptation).10 Submitted reports are called National Communications, and the chapter dedicated to adaptation contains informationonclimate-relateddisastereffectsandresponses, health, environmental problems such as coastal erosion and water management, and financial services such as insurance. National Communications can act as an important catalyst for countries to begin

mainstreaming adaptation into development planning.

National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs)In 2001, at the Seventh Conference of Parties held in Morocco,adecisionwasmadetoprovidefinancialandtechnicalassistancetotheLeastDevelopedCountries(LDCs)tohelpthemtoidentifypriorityactivitiestorespond to their urgent and immediate needs to adapt to climate change. The main content of the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA) is a list of ranked priority adaptation activities and projects, as well as short profiles of each activity or project, designed to facilitate the development of proposals for implementation of the NAPA. However, to date, only a small number of projects outlined in the NAPAs have been funded.

The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) TheHFAisaten-yearstrategy(2000-15)toreducedisaster risk that was agreed in Hyogo, Kobe, Japan in 2005, by 168 governments. The Framework aims for ‘the substantial reduction of disaster losses, in lives and in the social, economic, and environmental assets of communities and countries.’ As part of its text, governments agreed to integrate CCA and DRR through: theidentificationof climate-relateddisasterrisks;thedesignof specificrisk-reductionmeasures;andtheimprovedandroutineuseof climate-riskinformationbyplanners, engineers, and other decision makers.

3. Key terms

•Adaptive capacity The potential of individuals, communities, and societies to be actively involved in the processes of change, in order to minimise negative impacts and maximise any benefits from changes in the climate. Adaptive capacity therefore strengthens resilience and reduces vulnerability to a wide range of climate-relatedchanges.

•Climate change A change in climate that persists for decades or longer, arising from human activity that alters the composition of the atmosphere (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions).

•Climate-compatible development Development that takes into account possible or predicted climate hazards and impacts, and is sustainable over time in light of these changes.

•Climate variability Natural variations in the climate that are not caused by greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., it rains more in some years and less in others).

•Climate change adaptation Actions that people and institutions make in anticipation of, or in response to, a changing climate. This includes changes to the things they do, and/or the way they do them.

•Resilience Where adaptive capacity relates to the ability to influence and respond directly to processes of change (to shape, create or respond to change), resilience is the ability to absorb shocks or ride out changes.

•Vulnerability The characteristics and circumstances of a community, system, or asset that makes it susceptible to the damaging effects of climate change and other hazards.

•MitigationMeasurestoreducegreenhousegasemissions(notethattheterm‘mitigation’isuseddifferently by DRR practitioners, who use it to mean reducing or limiting the adverse impact of hazards and related disasters).

Agriculture and livelihoods

Disaster Risk Reduction

Natural-resource management

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5. Oxfam’s approach to climate change adaptation

Oxfam believes that lifting people out of poverty and overcoming injustice is central to our mission, which is why tackling climate change is a major priority for our humanitarian,campaigning,andlong-termdevelopmentwork.

Oxfam’s Vision for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation states that:

“Oxfam and the communities and partners with which we work become able to factor climate change and disaster risks into development and humanitarian programmes, influence significant international funding availability, and support the national implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction and climate change adaptation policy and practice.”

Oxfam GB’s current Strategic Plan12 and corporate objectives also state that Oxfam will:

•Reducevulnerabilitytodisastersandassistadaptation to climate change;

•Advocateforamajortransferof internationalfunds toward DRR and CCA which are implementedinanequitable,pro-poor,andgender-sensitivemanner;and

•IncorporateDRRandCCAintoorganisationalstrategy and processes, as well as build capacity to implement them.

All Oxfam International affiliates are committed to assessing climate change vulnerability across their programmes and initiating adaptation measures where climate change is a major driver of poverty.13

5.1 An approach centred on sustainable livelihoods, disaster risk reduction, and natural-resource management

Adaptation cannot be viewed in isolation from Oxfam’s broader work on development. This is because, like any other driver of poverty and suffering, climate change does not act in isolation, but instead amplifies existing vulnerability and inequality.

Oxfam’s approach to CCA focuses on the core areas of DisasterRiskReduction,livelihoods,andnatural-resourcemanagement, ensuring that gender is addressed as a crosscutting issue. Where possible, this work should be harmonised for greater impact. This approach is broadly consistent with National Change Strategies that prioritise climate change adaptation.

Generic measures to reduce vulnerability and specific measures for local risks:

Examples of generic measures to reduce vulnerability:

Livelihoodsdiversificationtospreadrisk

Increased power in markets to increase income

Policy environment e.g., agrarian reform, social protection, irrigation policy

Increase soil organic content to improve water retention and drainage

Reforestation to protect embankments, reduce local temperature, and provide food and fodder in times of scarcity

Examples of measures for specific impacts:

Salinisationincostalareas:salt-tolerantcrops, water for irrigation, household and livestock

Decreased and unpredictable rains: appropriate forecasts, crop diversification, farming techniques that reduce crop water needs

Increasedtemperature:heat-tolerantcrops

Increased risk of floods, cyclones and stormsurges:district-levelcontingencyplans; PCVA; increasing understanding of risk reduction; cyclone/flood shelters; stockpiling and Early Warning Systems

Workingatmultiplelevels(household,community,provincial,national,etc.)

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Disaster Risk Reduction and climate changeDisaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is an approach that attempts to reduce people’s vulnerability to hazards through:

1. Ensuring that DRR is both a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation;

2. Identifying, assessing, and monitoring disaster risks andenhancingearly-warningsystems;

3. Using knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels;

4. Reducing the underlying risk factors; and

5. Strengthening disaster preparedness for effective responses at all levels.

Because climate change is increasing the frequency and/or intensityof weather-relatedhazardsformanycommunities,DRR is central to supporting many communities to adapt toclimatechange.However,notallDRRisaboutclimate-

related hazards (other hazards include earthquakes) and, equally, not all climate change impacts are hazards (such as saline intrusion exacerbated by rising sea levels, increasing temperature, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and changing seasons,allof whicharemorelong-term,insidious,changes). There are also some areas where hazards won’t change (or may even decrease in frequency or intensity), suchasfloodingontheZambeziinMozambique.MakingDRR relevant to climate change means that the way that climate change alters hazards must be understood and incorporated into programme design. For example, if it is known that climate change is likely to increase the severity of floodingthreefold(so,forexample,a‘once-in-50-yearsflood’will happen every 16 or 17 years), then the design of flood shelters (etc.) should take this into account. Where such precise climate change predictions are unavailable, then a ‘precautionary’ approach can be taken; in other words, look at the most severe climate change prediction and base programming decisions on that.

The relationship between DRR and CCA can be visualised as:

Disaster Risk Reduction

Non climate-related disastersExample:earthquakes

Climate-related disastersExamples:floods,droughts,cyclones,stormsurges

Non-disaster related climatic impactsExamples:temperature, unpredictablerain,sea-levelrise, saline intrusion

Incorporating predicted changes in weather-related hazards into DRR

Incorporating interventions to support communities deal with gradual changes: focusing on livelihoods, natural-resource management and national policy and practices (the enabling environment)

Climate Change Adaption

Climate Change and Disasters: similarities and differences

Sustainable livelihoods and climate change14 Livelihoodsapproachesarebasedontheunderstandingthat poverty, and the ability to move out of poverty, reflects the (lack of) capabilities and assets available to those affected. This includes material assets such as access to land, other natural resources, financial capital and credit, tools, and inputs into productive activities. It also reflects human capabilities (the knowledge and skills of the family), and social and political factors, such the ability to negotiate fair and adequate outcomes in the market chains within which people buy and sell good and services.

Sustainable livelihoods programmes typically assess the barriers that people face in improving their livelihoods, and design programme interventions to overcome these. Some of these are not directly affected by climate change (for example, people’s power to negotiate fair prices for products and services). However, many are directly affected by climate change, particularly those concerning the ability of producers to produce. For example, when rising temperatures are increase crop water demand and weather is ever more unpredictable; farmers struggle to know when to cultivate the land, sow, and harvest. Rainfall even within the rainy season is becoming concentrated

into more heavy downpours punctuated by dry spells (which alone can reduce crop yield by between 30 and 70 per cent), and heavy, unseasonable downpours are damaging crops. These types of impact are almost universal, but they often have clear potential solutions (see section 6). Strategies for implementing these solutions need to be rooted in an understanding of how people sustain their livelihoods, and be implemented alongside the existing strategies that aim to overcome the barriers that prevent people from improving their livelihoods.

Natural-resource management and climate change Climate change makes the wise management of natural resources – water, soils, and trees – even more important as a way of supporting communities to adapt to climate change. This is first because climate change increases resource scarcity. For example, in areas that are becoming drier, and in coastal areas suffering from saline intrusion, there is a reduction in the availability of water for household and productive use. Second, the role that natural resources play in buffering communities against extremes of climate becomes more important as climates become more adverse. For example, increasing soil’s organic content improves water retention and drainage that can help crops as rain becomes more concentrated into heavy downpours (even when there is no change

in the overall rainfall each year), and reforestation can reduce local temperatures, provide additional income, protect against soil erosion, landslides, and local flooding, and provide food and fodder in times of scarcity.

Gender and climate changeWhile climate change affects everyone, it is not gender neutral. It magnifies existing inequalities, reinforcing the disparity between women and men in their vulnerability to climate change, and their capability to cope with it.15 Women, who form the majority of the world’s poor, tend to be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change16 and are being affected in their multiple roles as food producers and providers, as guardians of health, care givers, and economic actors. They are more likely to become direct victims (through death and injuries) of climate-relateddisasters,suchashurricanesandflooding, because they are less likely to be able to swim, and are more likely to be at home when such events occur.17 Drought, deforestation, and erratic rainfall cause women to work harder to secure resources (such as food, water, and fuel) and mean that women have less time to earn an income, get an education or training, orparticipateindecision-makingprocesses.Familiesaffected by poverty, many of which are headed by females, often live in more precarious situations: on low, flood-pronelandsoronsteepslopes.

Local people rebuild the river embankment, which protects their village, Kholishabunia, near Gabura, Shatkhira district, Bangladesh. Embankments on tidal rivers are feeling the twin strain of larger volumes of water coming downstream, and higher tides and increased wave intensity from the coast. Many embankments are being breached, or are close to breaching, with people losing lives and homes as a result.

Oxfam is working with partners LEDARS (Local Environment Development Agricultural Research Society) in this region to raise community awareness on climate change – what it is and how to adapt. They also support tiger widows through income raising activities, provide relief after floods, and model storm resistant houses. Photo: Shehab Uddin/DRIK/Oxfam GB

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5.2 An approach that includes working at multiple levels18 Climate change is rapidly moving communities beyond their capacity to cope, and so while working at a community level is necessary, on its own it is not a sufficient response to support effective adaptation. Inaddition,climatechangeisalong-termissueforpeople living in poverty, irrespective of the outcome of international negotiations, and so the state will play an increasing and fundamental role in reducing communities’ vulnerability to climate change. To give some examples:

•Increasingtemperatureswillsoontakesomecropsbeyond their physiological limits (e.g., maize in Southern Africa).Developingheat-tolerantvarietiesisnotsomething that can be done by each community, and so influencing agricultural research and extension to develop varieties that are appropriate for smallholders will be a critical part of adaptation.

•Rainsandseasonsarebecomingincreasinglyunpredictable, meaning that traditional techniques for deciding when to cultivate, sow, and harvest are becoming increasingly ineffective. Supporting meteorological services to work with farmers to allow access to reliable, appropriate, and appropriately communicated forecasts can play an enormous role in maintaining and increasing smallholders’ yields. Listedbelowarewaysof workingthatcouldtakeplacewith local and national government and at an international level to help enable communities to adapt to climate change (there are of course other levels, such as provincial and regional, but it may not be feasible to work at all of these at the same time).

Local governmentWorking with local government (such as municipal or district) is critical because it is this level that implements (and to some extent influences) many government policies. It is also the level at which the impacts of climate change are most clearly manifested. Based on an analysis of climate change impacts and the adaptation interventions that will help communities, Oxfam can help integrate local adaptation through:

•Collationof localinformationonclimateimpactsandlocal adaptation responses to raise awareness of the issues and solutions;

•Provisionof human,financial,andtechnicalresourcesand services to support local adaptation.

National governmentThis is the level at which strategic decisions are taken to create an enabling environment for affected communities. Itisalsoatthislevelwheremedium-tolong-termdevelopmentandpoverty-reductionstrategiesareestablished. To facilitate the integration of adaptation nationally Oxfam should advocate for a number of priority actions to be taken. These include:

•Commissioningnationalassessmentsof climatechangeimpacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation options;

•Workingwithdifferentpartsof governmenttosupporta‘whole-government’approach(climatechangeistypicallytheformalresponsibilityof theMinistryof Environment,which often has little influence over other parts of government);

•Incorporatingconsiderationsof climatechangeriskswithinlong-termvisions,andstrategiesforpovertyreduction and sustainable development;

Villagers tend their vegetables as part of Oxfam GB’s Farmer’s Field School, designed to reduce the effects of climate change in West Timor. Oxfam is using the Farmers Field School approach to home gardening, which teaches farmers to grow vegetables utilising appropriate farming technology with low and natural external inputs such as green manure, compost and local seeds to ensure sustainability and restore soil fertility. The project directly benefits 7,500 vulnerable people who are selected on the basis of need and motivation. Photo: Tom Greenwood/Oxfam GB

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•Holdinggovernment to account for the development and implementation of adaptation policies for vulnerable communities;

•Ensuringthatvulnerablepeople,andespeciallywomenlivinginpoverty,arerepresentedindecision-making.

International level Oxfam has focused its international campaigning and advocacyworkontheUNFCCCConference/Meetingof Parties in Copenhagen (December 2009). This is the meeting that has the potential to agree a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and the size and management funding for adaptation. Whether a successful deal is reached or not, holding the international community to account for providing adequate adaptation funds will for decades remain a vital and continuing part of reducing poverty and vulnerability, either for Oxfam directly or for local civil society networks that we support that are working on climate change.

5.3 An approach that has a range of interventionsThe precise impacts of climate change on any one geographical area aren’t known absolutely (and,

for technical reasons, can’t be known with absolute certainty). That means that the types of interventions that will support communities to adapt to climate change will need to combine interventions that focus on both:

Impacts: When specific impacts are known with a degree of certainty, then interventions can be designed to help communities deal with those. For example, in most parts of the world, temperatures will rise by between one and 1.5 degrees over the next 20 years, directly affecting crop production and increasing crop water demand by about 10 percent;salineintrusionwillincreaseinlow-lyingcoastalareasoverthesameperiod.Interventionsthatintroduceheat-resistantanddrought-resistantvarieties,increasesoilwaterretention, and provide water for household and productive use will help communities faced with these problems.

Vulnerability Where the impacts remain uncertain, measures that reduce communities’ underlying vulnerability to any shocks and trends will also be needed, such as: women’s rights, empowering poor and marginalised communities to be involved in decision making, provision of healthcare, etc.

Effective climate change adaptation for Oxfam:•Managesandreducesrisksassociatedwithchangesintheclimate.19

•Involvesplanningforthelong-termfuturewhilesimultaneouslyhelpingcommunitiescopewithpresentcircumstances, by reducing vulnerability and increasing their capacity to act.

•Hingesbothonaddressingvulnerabilitythrough‘climate-compatibledevelopment’(forexample,ensuringthat existing agricultural practices are sustainable where there is more likelihood of drought in the future) and developing specific responses to climate change impacts (for example, specific responses such as building seawallsinlow-lyingislandstostoperosion).20

•Needstobeflexibleenoughtocopewithuncertainty,andwithmeetingdifferentneedsthatmightrapidlychange.21

•Isappropriatetothelocalsocial,economic,andclimaticcontext.

•Involvesworkingatdifferentlevels(suchas:community,district,national,andinternational)

•Isintegratedintodevelopmentandhumanitarianprogramming(includinglivelihoods,DRR,natural-resourcemanagement, and governance programmes) to build on Oxfam’s extensive and existing good practice in these areas.

Climate change adaptation for Oxfam is not: •Justabout‘goodprogramming’.Thethreatof climatechangeacrossOxfam’sprogrammesmeansitmust

be considered in context analyses (for example, building a flood shelter that fails to take into account the changed flood risk would not constitute effective adaptation). Analysis needs to take into account the changing dynamics of risk in the light of climate change so that interventions are sustainable for generations to come.

•Relabellingexistingwork:if climatechangeimpactsarenotexplicitlyanalysed,oradaptationobjectivesarenot set at the start of a programme, we cannot be sure that programmes are supporting communities to adapt to climate change, nor can we be certain that they will not increase future vulnerability.

•A‘one-size-fits-all’approach.CCAneedstobecontextspecific,intermsof people’slivelihoodsandtheircultural norms.

•Thesameascopingstrategies,whicharegenerallyshorttermandnotsustainableovertime.

6. Programme cycle management and CCA

6.1 Identification: assessing and analysing climate risk Programme identification involves defining the change that Oxfam wishes to bring about, exploring the issues to be addressed, and considering our capacity to respond to them. At the same time, we need to be sure that our proposed piece of work is strategic, represents a good use of Oxfam’s resources, and is consistent with Oxfam’s beliefs, values, and objectives.

Identify climatic hazards from scientific and community sources22

In order to decide whether or not climate change should be part of any strategy, programme, or project we first need to identify whether or not climate change is a significant contributor to poverty and suffering within the context in which we are operating. We can do this by gathering available and relevant information and using it form an overall picture that can be analysed before making decisions. As a minimum, we need to:

•Talktocommunitiesaboutwhat’schanging,andwhatimpacts those changes are having (using standard participatorytoolssuchasfocus-groupdiscussions,seasonal calendars, etc.);

•Lookatthescientificevidencetofindoutwhat’schanging, what those changes could be (direction and magnitude), and identify where there’s uncertainty; and

•Talktootherorganisationsandgovernmentsabouttheirunderstanding of climate change and the work that they are doing and planning around adaptation.

Questions to ask communities include:•Whatchangesinclimatearealreadybeingobserved: – Seasonal shifts? – Changes in rainfall patterns and availability of

water? –Extreme-weatherevents?

•Howaredifferentpeoplebeaffectedbyclimate change in different ways, in terms of their: – Household workload (women)? –Livelihoodsactivities(womenandmen

separately)?

•Whataretheunderlyingcausesof vulnerabilitytoclimate change?

– Which livelihoods strategies are more vulnerable or more resilient to climate change, and why?

– What strategies are currently being (or could be) employed to deal with these problems, and which have the potential to assist them in adapting to climate change?

•Whattypesof supportareneededtofacilitateadaptation at the individual, household, and community levels?

Questions to ask scientists and governments include:

•Whatarethemostimportantclimatechangehazards facing your particular area?

•Whatinformationisthere,andwhatdoyouknow,about past and present changes regarding (for example):

– Annual and seasonal rainfall, average temperatures, storms, and flooding;

– Occurrence of mudslides, landslides, and wildfires;

– Frequency of drought recurrence;

– Fresh water availability and quality;

– Seasons?

•Isthereinformationavailableaboutprojectedchanges in the above for the next five, 10, and 50 years?

•Whatactionsarelocalandnationalinstitutionstaking to develop the capacities of communities to adapt to climate change?

•Whowouldbethekeytargetsforadvocacyefforts around climate change?

•Whoarethekeypartnersandalliesforclimatechange adaptation?

•Whatcapacityexistsandwhattypesof supportare needed to facilitate adaptation at the institutional and national policy levels?

By doing this we can get a better overall picture of what’s happening in your country or region and collate the information we receive to see where there are commonalities,inordertomakebetter-informeddecisionsabout priority areas for intervention.

6.2 Planning and design: integrating CCA

Programmes that take into account current and predictable impacts of climate change When planning and designing CCA interventions, it is important to remember that they will not normally be ‘stand-alone’programmesorprojects.Thecurrentandpredictable impacts of climate change need to be taken into account within poverty reduction and humanitarian programmes, so that:

•Communitiesareempoweredtounderstandclimatechange,identifysolutions,andholddecision-makerstoaccount;

•Programmescontainelementsthatsupportcommunitiesto adapt to current and predictable impacts of climate change. Where information is not available or

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•Workingforadaptationtobeintegratedintonationaldevelopment planning processes and backed up with the budgets needed;

•Seekingtoinfluencethefundingpoliciesof multi-lateral,bi-lateral,andnationalinstitutionsandotherdonors,sothat funding for adaptation is adequate, reliable, and easily accessed by those who need it most.

Programmes should aim to grow organisational capacity to understand and address climate changeAn important component of Oxfam’s work on climate change is ensuring that we have the human and financial capacity to be effective in our efforts. We can do this by:

•Makingsufficienthumanandfinancialresourcesavailable for developing organisational capacity for climate change adaptation, including access to appropriate training and other forms of capacity development.

6.3 Implementation and management: CCA in practiceWhile many of Oxfam GB’s development, humanitarian, and advocacy programmes have contributed to sustainable development and CCA for many years, it has only been most recently that we have been purposely involved in CCA programming and have prioritised climate change as a corporate objective. As a result we are rapidly growing our skills, knowledge, and expertise on programming. Our hope is that in the next two to three years we will have developed a whole suite of programmes across countries and regions that are effectively assisting communities and national governments adapt to climate change.

is lacking, plans should identify options that reduce the vulnerability of women’s and men’s livelihoods, vulnerability to disasters, and that protect ecosystems, whatever the specific local effects of climate change turn out to be;23

•Programmesincludeexplicitresponsestotheidentifiedvulnerabilities, needs, and capacities of women, marginalised groups, indigenous communities and ethnic minorities, those affected by HIV and AIDS, and people with disabilities;

•Thecapacityof nationalinstitutionsandsystemsisstrengthened to develop and implement measures to tackle climate change, focusing on the most vulnerable;

•Specificobjectivesandindicatorsareestablishedfor CCA and DRR, in consultation with partners and communities, to measure, monitor, evaluate, and communicate the impact of our work.

Programmes that link with others to achieve political commitment and actionOxfam should not aim to work alone on climate change, as we do not yet have the resources or capacity to deal with climate change on the scale required. However, we can have more impact if we work with others, including:

•Workingwithalliesandpartnersatmultiplelevels(forexample: community, district, national, and international) and across functions (programming and campaigning) toensurethatpro-poor,gender-sensitivenationalpolicyand practice supports communities’ own efforts;

Lelya Kayere, 76, selling her tomatoes. The Oxfam funded Mnembo Irrigation scheme has helped to improve the lives of 400 families by transforming their traditional small low-yield crops into year-round, high volume harvests that provide continuous food and a source of income. The community are now totally self sustainable. Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Oxfam GB

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Programme activity examples

Accesstoheat-tolerantcrops

Accesstodrought-tolerantandfast-maturingcropsandvarieties

Increase soil organic content

Water-conservingcrop-managementpractices

Maximisewatercaptureandstorage

Advocacy on securing rights of access to water supplies forsmall-scalefarmers

Tree planting (shade and fodder)

Changetomoreheat-tolerantlivestock(e.g.,shiftfromcattle to goats)

Conservation of coastal mangroves and other vegetation

Sustainable aquaculture such as fish farming in ponds.

Provision of water for households and productive use

Sea defences built

DRR approach, ensuring that increased risk is built into project design across the five priority areas for action (making DRR a priority; know the risks; building understanding and awareness; reduce risks; and preparedness)

Appropriate, accessible, and reliable weather forecasts

Crop diversification and crop mixing

Appropriate, accessible, and reliable weather forecasts

Crop diversification and crop mixing

Watercaptureandstorage;accesstofast-maturing/drought-tolerantvarieties;soilandcropmanagementtoconserve water

Appropriate, accessible, and reliable weather forecasts

Flood-tolerantvarieties

Crop diversification and crop mixing

DRR approach, ensuring that increased risk is built into project design across the five priority areas for action.

DRR approach, ensuring that increased risk is built into project design across the five priority areas for action.

Drought-cyclemanagementand/orintegratedcommunitywater-managementapproaches.

Impact

Heat stress on crops

Increased crop water demand

Heat stress on livestock

Worsening availability of fish stocks

Saline intrusion

Coastal erosion

Increased frequency/severity of storm surges

Farmers uncertain about when to cultivate, sow, and harvest

Crops damaged by dry spells within growing season

Crops damaged by unseasonal heavy downpours

Increased frequency/severity of floods

Increased frequency/severity of drought

Change

Temperature increase on land and water

Sea-levelrise

Changed seasonality

Increase in intense rainfall or large increase in annual rainfall

Decrease in annual rainfallinarid/semi-aridareas

ThefollowingtableincludessomeexamplesofCCAactivitiesthatyoumightliketoconsider.Thelistisnotexhaustive.

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Key Outcomes 1. Food securityAfterharvesting,itwasfoundthatall57householdsweremorefood-securethantheyhadbeenbeforethestartoftheproject,withmorethan90percentoftherice,meat,andvegetablesconsumedgrownbythefamiliesthemselves.

2. Decline in rice production haltedDespitetheyear’sharshconditions,51outofthe57programmeparticipantswereabletomaintainanoutputofricethatwasatleastsufficientfortheirownhouseholdconsumption,with14producingasurplustosellatmarket.Onlysixhouseholdssufferedlossesinriceyield,becausetheirwatersystemswerenotestablishedintime.Overallriceproductionfellbyalmost16percent,instarkcontrasttofarmsthatdidnottakepartintheproject,whoseproductionfellby40percent.

3. Diversity of crops Programmeparticipantsadoptedcropdiversificationasanadditionalwaytoreducetheriskoffoodandeconomicinsecurity.Farmers,especiallywomen,plantedfruitsandvegetablesduringandafterricecultivation,sellingtheproducenotconsumedbytheirhouseholdsatlocalmarkets,earningthemaround500to1,500baht($15to$40)aweek.

4. On-farm water-management systemsMorethan90percentofparticipantsagreedthatthewater-managementsystemsreducedtheimpactsofdrought.Almost90percentbelievedthatthesystemswereappropriateforwomenandchildrentouse,andtheywerealreadyfindingwaystoimprovetheirwater-managementsystems.

OxfamhasbeenworkingwiththelocalorganisationEarthNetFoundation(ENF)since2004,promotingorganicagriculturalproductionandfair-trademarketingwithfarmersinYasothornProvince.AcombinationofscientificfindingsandobservedchangesbycommunitiesandprogrammestaffpromptedOxfamtotakeaction.InconsultationwithfarmingcommunitiesandENF,Oxfamdecidedtoimplementaninitialone-yearpilotCCAprojectfororganicrice.Fifty-sevenoutofthe509organic-farminghouseholdsdecidedtojointhescheme.

Activities1. Climate change awareness and participatory decision makingMen,women,andchildrenwereeducatedaboutclimatechangeanditspotentialimpactsinThailand.Usingthisinformation,participantssharedideasabouthowtheycouldadapttheirfarmingpracticestocopewiththesechanges,andtheydesignedtheirownon-farmwater-managementsystems.

2. Provision of loans to project participantsAfundwasestablishedwhichprovidedloansofupto30,000baht($880)toeachhousehold,toassistintheconstructionofon-farmwater-managementsystems.Theloansareofferedatlowinterestrates(betweenoneandthreepercent)foronetosixyears.Thefundlentmoneytoall57projecthouseholds:1,400,000baht($41,000)intotal.

3. Implementation of on-farm water-management systemsIntotal,23stockponds,24wells,44water-drainagesystems(ditch,sprinkle,pipe),and14waterpumpsweredesigned,built,andinstalled.Becauseoftheuncertainimpactofclimatechangeonriceproduction,farmersalsodiversifiedtheirfoodcrops.Manyfarmers,especiallywomen,grewvegetablesandplantedfruittreesasalternativecrops,earninghouseholdsbetween500to1,500baht($15to$40)perweek.

4. Farmers as catalysts Femaleandmalefarmerswhotookpartintheprojectmetwithotherfarmersandhouseholdstosharetheirexperiences,inordertohelpotherstofindbettersolutionstotheproblemsposedbyachangingclimate.Severalworkshopstookplace,including:oneonagriculturalmodelsandtechniquestoreduceclimaterisks;threeontheimpactofclimatechangeonfemalefarmers’roles;andthreeonon-farmproductmanagementandseedmanagementforfemalefarmers.

Case study: ‘Jasmine Rice in the Weeping Plain’- Climate change adaptation in Thailand

A windmill is used to pump water into a large storage tank to supply water to Manoon Phupa’s farm.This pump is one of many designed and installed as part of an Oxfam project to help rice farmers adapt to climate change in northern Thailand.Photo: Tul Pinkaew and Supaporn Anichiracheeva/Oxfam GB

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6.4 Monitoring, evaluation, and learningGiven the innovation needed within Oxfam’s work to tackle the unavoidable impacts of climate change, an integral part of this work includes monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)todemonstratethedifferenceandimpactof Oxfam’sCCA actions. This will not only provide improvements in programme design and implementation for future activities within programmes, but will also provide opportunities for organisational development and motivate staff.

Monitoring,evaluating,andlearningisdoublyimportant within CCA because climate change is taking communities, local and national governments, and other stakeholders outside the customary range of climate. This means that all stakeholders will need to learn what does and does not work, and build upon successful strategies.

Wherever possible Oxfam should aim to:

•Facilitatea‘safespace’forcommunitiesandotherstakeholders to experiment with different ideas and solutions without putting themselves at greater risk;

•Ensurethatstakeholders(communities,governmentauthorities, and other organisations) are actively involved in monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of the actions they implement;

•Buildonwhatworksandwhatdoesn’twork,inordertoimprove CCA programming for the future.

This approach is the same as the programme management cycle,withthecomponentsof experimentationandMELbeing explicitly addressed and prioritised.

To ensure wider learning within Oxfam, please send copies of all your evaluation reports to the Programme Resource Centre (PRC). You can also contact the PRC for support in documenting or disseminating your learning, or to request the Rough GuideonIntegratingLearningintoProgrammeCycleManagement.

There is an Oxfam Adaptation and Risk Reduction Practitioners’ email forum where you can share experiences and ask questions of other colleagues working in the field. Email your request to join this forum to phd@oxfam.org.uk.

7. Summary of key learning

•Climatechangeisadevelopmentissuethatthreatenstostall – and then reverse – progress made to achieve the MillenniumDevelopmentGoals.

•Poorwomenandmenindevelopingcountriesarethose worst affected by climate change, yet are least responsible for causing it.

•Theimpactsof climatechangewillcontinuetoworsen,and for those already affected the need to adapt is urgent.

•Oxfamiscommittedtotacklingclimatechangeinourhumanitarian,campaigning,andlong-termdevelopmentwork.

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•Thecoreof Oxfam’sworkonCCAfocusesonDRR,livelihoods,andnatural-resourcemanagement,ensuringthat gender is addressed as a crosscutting issue.

•EffectiveCCAinvolvesplanningforthelong-termfuturewhile simultaneously helping communities cope with present circumstances, by reducing vulnerability and increasing their capacity to adapt.

•Communitiesmustbeattheheartof effortstobuildresilience to climate change, but their efforts will only be successful if backed up by national strategies and policies, and by international financial support – and we need to influence these.

8. How to further your understanding

For more advice about climate change adaptation, please see the online resources below, and/or contact the PPT Adaptation and Risk Reduction team in Oxford by emailing arr@oxfam.org.uk.

8.1 Key resources

Oxfam GBInternal resources, including programme policies: http://intranet.oxfam.org.uk/programme/arrExternal resources, including policy papers and national reports on climate change: www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/climate_change/index.html

WeADAPT Online resource and learning guide for Oxfam staff: http://wikiadapt.org/index.php?title=Oxfam_Entry_PageIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) The Fourth Assessment Report: www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/assessments-reports.htm

United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) NationalCommunications:www.unfccc.int/national_reports/non-annex_i_natcom/items/2979.phpNational Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs): http://unfccc.int/cooperation_support/least_developed_countries_portal/submitted_napas/items/4585.php

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Adaptation country profiles http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.ukLearningonadaptationhttp://www.undp.org/climatechange/adapt/index.html

8.2 Additional resources Global Humanitarian Forum: The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis: www.ghf-ge.org/OurWork/RaisingAwareness/HumanImpactReport/tabid/180/Default.aspx

UN Human Development Report: Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2007-2008/

UNISDR (2008) Climate change and disaster risk reduction. Briefing Paper 01: www.unisdr.org/eng/risk-reduction/climate-change/cc-information.html

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9. Endnotes

1 UNDP (2007) Human Development Report 2007/2008 – ‘Fighting climate change:Humansolidarityinadividedworld’.PanMacmillan:NewYork.

2 UNISDR (2009) Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Available at: www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/gar/report/index.php?id=1130&pid:34&pif:3.Lastcheckedbyauthor,08August2009.

3 Global Humanitarian Forum (2009) Climate Change: The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis, and Oxfam International (2009) The Right to Survive: The Humanitatian Challenge in the 21st Century.

4DrBalgisOsman-Elasha,HigherCouncilforEnvironmentandNaturalResources,Sudan,CopenhagenScienceConference,March2009.

5 Oxfam Briefing Paper 130 (2009) Suffering the Science: Climate change, poverty and people. Oxfam International. The figure derives from a calculation of the historic increase in the number of disasters per year, factored with the increasing vulnerability of populations, according to a range of factors.

6M.L.Parry,O.F.Canziani,J.P.Palutikof,P.J.vanderLindenandC.E.Hanson,Eds. (2007) Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press,: Cambridge, UK.

7M.L.Parry,O.F.Canziani,J.P.Palutikof,P.J.vanderLindenandC.E.Hanson,Eds. (2007) Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Chapter 10.

8Jennings,S.andMagrath,J.(2009)WhatHappenedtotheSeasons?Oxfam GB Research Report. Oxfam GB.

9 Adapted from United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN/ISDR) (2009) New 2009 Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction,availableat:www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html.Lastcheckedbyauthor,08August2009;theUnitedNationsFramework Convention on Climate Change definitions, and Practical Action.

10Tearfund&IDS(2007)OvercomingtheBarriers:Mainstreamingclimatechange adaptation in developing countries.

11 UNFCCC website: http://unfccc.int/cooperation_support/least_developed_countries_portal/submitted_napas/items/4585.php.Lastcheckedbyauthor,08 August 2009.

12OxfamGBStrategicPlan2007-10.Availableat:http://intranet.oxfam.org.uk/about_oxfam/management/strat_plan.htm?searchterm=strategic+plan.Lastchecked by author, 08 August 2009.

13 Oxfam International (2008) Double Trouble: Overcoming obstacles to urgent and fair responses to global climate change for economic justice. Oxfam International.

14 International Institute for Sustainable Development, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and Stockholm Environment Institute(2003)LivelihoodsandClimateChange:CombiningDisasterRiskReduction, natural resource management and climate change adaptation in a new approach to the reduction of vulnerability and poverty. Winnipeg: IISD.

15 UNDP (2007).

16 WEDO (2007) Changing the climate: Why women’s perspectives matter. WDO: New York.

17 Neumayer, E. & and Plümper, T (2007) The Gendered Nature of Natural Disasters:TheImpactof CatastrophicEventsontheGenderGapinLifeExpectancy.

18 This section adapted from OECD (2009) ‘Policy guidance on integrating climatechangeadaptationintodevelopmentcooperation’.JointHigh-Levelmeetingof theOECDDevelopmentAssistanceCommitteeandtheEnvironmentPolicyCommittee.28-29May2009.

19 Text taken directly from IISD (2003).

20Misselhorn,A.(2008)AdaptingtoclimatechangeinUmkhanyakudedistrict,KwaZulu-Natal,SouthAfrica.OxfamAustralia:Melbourne.

21Misselhorn(2008).

22 Adapted from Tearfund’s CEDRA (Climate Change and Environmental Degradation Risk and Adaptation Assessment) tool (2009).

23 Adapted from Sperling, F. (2003) Poverty and Climate Change: Reducing the Vulnerability of the Poor through Adaptation, and Stern, N. (2006) The Economics of Climate Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Members of the Tukore Women’s Group have set up a shop selling fabrics as a way of diversifying livelihoods in Lake Katwe, Uganda. Katwe offers nothing to live off except fish and salt from the salt pans. So although livelihoods can be profitable, they are also highly variable and vulnerable. Now climate change is increasing that vulnerability. Photo: John Magrath/Oxfam

Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation arecorporateprioritiesforOxfamGB.TheLearningCompanionsareasetof articles, which provide accessible and practical guidance to Oxfam staff wishing to integrate DRR and Climate Change Adaptation approaches into programming. To find out about other resources on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, and to give us your feedback on these resources, please contact the Programme Resource Centre. Email: phd@oxfam.org.uk

Frontcover:MartinaLongom(foreground)joinswomenfromCaicaoanvillagecollectingwaterfromthetraditionalwaterhole. Because water is becoming harder to find, members of the local women’s group have successfully campaigned for and helped to build a boreholeclosetothevillage.Insteadof walkingforuptosevenhourstocollectwater,thewomennowmakea30-minuteroundtrip.Photo: Geoff Sayer/Oxfam

OxfamisaregisteredcharityinEnglandandWalesNo202918andScotlandSCO039042.Inhouse4087